Thursday, December 30, 2010

Just a little more than a year ago, I posted a list of four hobby goals for the year 2010. Today I decided to revisit that list to see how I did.

1. No more backlog--seriously!

Seriously, I didn't even come close to meeting this goal. I still have a backlog. I am beginning to think I will always have a backlog. I perhaps have a little bit less of a backlog than I did at this time last year, but that's not saying much.

2. Greater productivity through better organization

I may have failed miserably at meeting my first goal, but I did pretty well on this one. While "clean and organized" may not be the first words you would think of upon entering my studio, the space has remained functional and relatively uncluttered. I love having a dedicated work area, and I think my productivity has improved as a result.

3. Making time for fun

I only made it to three live shows, all of which were in the state of Colorado. However, I greatly enjoyed each one of those shows. Devilish Kokopelli Live is always wonderful, and it was so much fun having Tiffany come stay with me for the Redline Revival Performance Edition. Still, I think it was the Rocky Mountain Rendezvous weekend that was the most memorable. Despite my packing mishaps, that was forty eight hours full of friends, fun and plastic horses. What could be better?

4. Blogging, blogging, blogging

There's no doubt about this one. This is my 344th post of the year. I am clearly a blogging champion! And you know, with three of my four goals met, I kind of feel like a winner all the way around. Thanks to everyone who's been a part of my hobby year!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

I didn't buy very many models in 2010. In fact, my purchases were limited to just three resins--only one of which was painted. Despite that, I did manage to add a lot of pretties to my collection. Here's the rundown.

First up is Glambert, a Ravenhill Revisited resin painted by Liesl Dalpe. He was the balance on a tack trade that dated back to 2008!

The second 2010 horse also has his roots in 2008. That's when I bought a two piece big Boreas resin from Karen Gerhardt. I fixed him up and eventually sent him off to Mindy Berg for paint. He came back home in April and I named him Dhaulagiri.

BFF is a Stacy Tumlinson Scarlett resin customized and painted by my BFF Tiffany. She is shown winning the Resin Draft Championship at the Rocky Mountain Rendezvous live show.

Strictly speaking, I've owned customized Romke resin for several years. However, I didn't finish his paintwork until this spring. In my books, that makes him a 2010 horse!

Sweet Basil is the result of two separate tack trades--one for the resin body and another for the paintwork. She is a Morgen Kilborn Hazel resin painted by Jennifer Scott.

Another two trade horse, Chipper is a Carol Gasper Starfire resin painted by Sheila Anderson Bishop.

And just in case you think it's all resins, all the time at Braymere Custom Saddlery, here's proof that I'm not quite that single minded. I absolutely love my Stage Mom and Child Star models. White Trash Girl and Welfare Baby are pictured winning the Other Performance class at Rocky Mountain Rendezvous.

Of course the big performance winner at Rocky Mountain Rendezvous was my old/new Jasmine resin, Emma. I won Emma in sculptor Mel Miller's 2008 blog contest, but she didn't get finished until 2010. Fortunately for me, this amazing paint job was worth every minute of the wait. Thanks Tiff!

Here's the one finished model I actually paid money for. This is Dagobert, a SMB Otto resin painted by Sonya Johnson.

Last but certainly not least is darling Bangles, my new Eberl Shirley resin painted by Chris Nandell.

Just for grins, here's a peak at the two unpainted models I purchased this year. Toot Sweet is not currently in my possession. She's hanging out with Tiffany in Illinois awaiting some pintaloosa spots. Hopefully she'll return to Colorado in 2011!

Little (green) One is more likely to be a 2012 or 2013 model. She's currently parked on the corner of my work desk, and truth be told, I kind of like her just the way she is!

Well, this has been a lot of fun--at least for me! 2010 may not have been a very good year in most respects, but I can't complain that I didn't get a whole lot of nice horses.

Monday, December 27, 2010

It seems like this one has been in progress forever, so I'm pleased to announce that Anne's Western saddle is finally finished. Hurray!

Here's a look at the breastcollar. Anne didn't specify a particular style. Instead she told me to make whatever I thought would look best. Always a glutton for punishment, I decided to go with a woven "rawhide" style.

Tomorrow I'll make a matching bridle and then I get to cross this set off my to-do list. Double hurray!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

It's not just that I still own most of my childhood herd. The problem goes far beyond that. I also have thirty years worth of accumulated model horse stuff. We're talking model horse magazines, Breyer manuals, dealer catalogs, show photos, show results, price lists... basically all the normal collector type things.

There are, however, a few interesting oddities lurking in the stacks of model horse memorabilia. This envelope is a perfect example.

Although this is addressed to my then best friend, it's obvious that I never got around to mailing it. I suspect I spent so much time on the envelope that I never got around to writing the letter! Well, Sarah's loss is my gain. I am very glad that I've held on to this piece of 1980's era model horse art.

Each of the envelope horses represents a model in either Sarah's or my collection. Amazingly, I can still recognize each and every one of them. How about you?

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

I have spent the entire morning driving from Target to Toys R Us to Walmart and back to Target again in search of the YuGiOh Legendary Collection 10th Anniversary Special Pack. This empty slot is the closest I came.

Poor James. It seems that he will have to settle for the Red Nova Dragon YuGiOh box instead.

Oh, how much easier life would be if my kids would ask for Breyer horses...

Monday, December 20, 2010

The response to my little halter raffle exceeded even my most optimistic expectations. In the space of just one week, this blog received one hundred and seventy seven comments. I wish I could make halters for every single one of you... So much so that I decided to expand upon the original one winner concept.

So, here's the scoop. I will make four halters, one each of the following types--Western show halter, leather stable halter, Arabian show halter, light breed show halter. The first place winner gets first choice of style, second place gets second choice, etc.

From first to fourth, the winners are:

Lindsay M. for her comment on the post "Sunday at Ambleside"

Becca G for her comment on "Halter raffle"

Sophie Moran for her comment on "Overwhelmed"

Elizabeth for her comment on "Random collection picture"

Congratulations ladies! Please contact me privately at braymere@comcast.net. Thank you so much to everyone who participated!!